Arrested Development - Season 1

I never saw Arrested Development while it was being broadcast on Fox, but I do remember hearing a lot about the show. It got all kinds of praise from various critics, but for some reason the show s ratings never took off like one might expect. The show was eventually cancelled after three seasons. I know that Fox is rather notorious for canning good TV shows (Firefly, for example), even though this one won Emmys two years in a row for Outstanding Comedy.

What makes this show so fun is that it s populated by a group of mostly unlikable characters. I don t think any normal person would ever want one of these characters as a friend, yet they tend to grow on you. Maybe its like the Seinfeld thing where we know that George is an annoying loser and Kramer is mental, but we still get a kick out of watching what kind of trouble they get into next. And boy is this family in trouble.

The main plot of this series is about a family named the Bluths. They are very wealthy because of the father s (veteran comedian Jeffrey Tambor) real estate business, only he is arrested in the show s pilot. After he is sent off the jail, the rest of the family suddenly finds their life of luxury in jeopardy, and they try everything they can to keep living their same lavish lifestyles while avoiding employment.

Jason Bateman plays Michael, the only normal character on the show. He s one of the Bluth children and seems to be the only one with sense enough to take over the family business while dad is in jail. However, his mother, sister, and two brothers make life a living hell because they don t want to accept the changes that took place. On top of that, Bateman s character has a teenage son (Michael Cera) that he s trying to raise right, and he s constantly at odds with all the negative influences coming from the rest of his family.

Portia de Rossi (Ally MacBeal) plays the snobby sister Lindsey, and her husband Tobias (David Cross) is a former doctor who lost his license after a CPR mishap. Tobias also seems to be a closeted homosexual, and there s plenty of jokes that allude to his. They also have a teenage daughter who is badly in need of direction, and her cousin (Bateman s son) has a crush on her, but she doesn t realize it.

Will Arnett and Tony Hale are hilarious as the two brothers who couldn t be more opposite. Arnett s character, Gob, is an aspiring magician who has a way with the ladies, but he s also a complete buffoon who screws up pretty much everything he does. Hale s character, Buster, is the ultimate momma s boy who still lives with his mother (Jessica Walter) and behaves like a little boy, only he s 30-something years old. Both of these actors really make the characters their own, and they steal many scenes from the rest of the cast.

What makes this show work so well is the sharp writing. Each episode has a lot of dialogue and at least one good memorable quote, plus the actors all play off each other very well. The show comes across like part of it might be adlibbed, but according to the DVD extras, most of it is scripted. The Office, which can currently be seen on Thursday nights, appears the same way. Both are also shot in kind of documentary style.

Some of what they used for comedy in this show is plain crazy, which makes it fun. There s an ongoing series of jokes about Saddam Hussein, including a guest character (Heather Graham) that is in love with him. There are plenty of parts that make fun of racial and sexual stereotypes, and the handicapped aren t spared, either. Even though I thought every episode was hilarious, I will say this show had a bit of a mean streak to it, but most comedy does these days. Additionally, there s a bunch of great cameos by people such as Richard Simmons and Henry Winkler.

If you are a fan of well-written comedy like Seinfeld, The Office, or Sports Night, I think you will love Arrested Development. This first season contains 22 episodes, including an extended uncensored pilot, and a bunch of extras. On the bonus features, it s funny to see how the cast and crew had their doubts about the show lasting for very long, despite all the critical praise it was receiving during the first season. Perhaps this show was just too smart for television.